Apparatus for the boring of wells or shafts, and for like operations



Jan. I, 1935. P. J. M. "r. ALLARD APPARATUS FOR THE BORING OF WELLS OR SHAFTS AND FOR LIKE OPERATIONS Filed Aug. 22, 1934 l NVENTORZ PIERRE Team Mame [14:00am HLLRRD HTToHNEY Patented Jan. 1, 1935 I UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR THE BORING F WELLS on SHAFTS, AND FOR LIKE OPERATIONS Pierre Jean Marie Theodore Allard, Ste.-Adresse,

France, assignor to Societe Francaise de. Construction de Bennes Automatiques, Le Havre, France, a French company Application August 22,

1934, Serial No. 740,863

In France August 25, 1932 6 Claims.

mounted at the bottom of an elongated main body having a practically cylindrical form and adapted to guide the said grab in the cavity to be excavated, the weight of the body being sufiicient to enable its use for operating upon the soil by percussion.

This arrangement provides for the construction of small grabs having a relatively considerable weight, and especially employed for the sinking.

of wells.

Such an apparatus has been described in my copending application Serial No. 672,967.

An object of my present invention is to provide improvements in .the construction of the main substantially cylindrical body of the apparatus.

In the accompanying drawing, which is given solely by way of example:

Fig. 1 is a. diagrammatic vertical section of a grab, in conformity with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the removable outer ring which is used for sinking a tube in the ground.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a partial vertical section of the lower part of the grab which is provided with rings'of difierent lengths forming lengthening members.

In the form of construction represented in Fig. 1, the apparatus comprises an elongated main body the external form of which is practically cylindrical, or preferably somewhat tapered. This body is provided at the top with a ring or hook 2 for attaching a cable 3. The said body contains the operating mechanism, which includes a set of pulleys 6, and a second set of pulleys 8 supported by a block 10 which is slidable in the body 1.

A cable 131s attached at one end to the body. 1, and passes over the set of pulleys 6 and 8.

Tojhe lower end 0! the body 1 is secured a ring 17 which is c'oaxially mounted with respect to said body, and whose internal diameter is preferably smaller than the external diameter of the block 10.

The ring 1'7 carries scoops 20, mounted upon spindles 21. e

A bracket 24 is secured to the lower end of the block 10, and to the horizontal arms 01' scoops 20.

The apparatus may be thrown down upon the ground to be excavated, the grab being open.

The scoops penetrate the ground and when they are closed and the grab is lifted they also gather and raise the disaggregated material.

In the form of construction according to my present invention, the elongated body of the grab, the outer shape 'of which is practically cylindrical or preferably somewhat tapered, .18 formed by the superposition of a cap'l .with rounded top, a ring 1 (which is optional), a cylindrical part 1, and a lower ring 1'7 upon which are pivoted, at 21, thescoops 20 or like parts of the grab. The said scoops are connected with a piston 10 which is slidable in the cylinder 1 under the action of a cable 13' mounted on the set of pulleys 6 and 8. The liftingcable 3 is attached to the cap 1 at 2.

As the hemispherical cap 1 forming the head of the grab is removable, it affords access .to the interior of the grab, for instance should the piston be accidentally held fast.

When the ground to be excavated is particularly hard, a ring l may be interposed, as herein represented, between the cylindrical part 1'! and the cap 1, thus increasing the weight as well as the length of the grab, and as it is now better guided, an exactly vertical shaft or well can be obtained. The ring 1' may have a considerable thickness, inorder to give it a great weight.

The ring may be connected with the cap 1 and the cylindrical member 1 by any suitable means. The ring l may be made in two parts secured together by two bolts 40 (Fig. 8), and these parts are joined by means of circular grooves 41 to the cylindrical member 1 (Fig. '7).

The interior of the ring 1' has only a suflici'ent aperture to allow the cable 13 to pass through it.

Rings such as 1 of different lengths may be employed according to the nature of the ground or to the character of the work to be executed.

The grab may be used ,for operating in a tube 42 (Fig; 7) which may be of metal or like material.

In order to allow tube 42 to be inserted into the ground, the cylindrical part of the grab is' provided' preferably near its upper part, with an annular-groove 43 located in the ring 1, and in said V groove is mounted a collar 44; (Figs. 7 and 9) which may be made in two-parts assembled by suitable means, such as bolts 45.

The outer diameter of the collar 44 exceeds the diameter of the ring 1* by a sufilcient amount to enable it to bear upon the end of the tube 42.

The grabisinserted into the tube 42, and its cylindrical part serves as a guide; it is dropped upon the tube in a manner analogous to that of a rammer, thus sinking the tube vertically.

The collar 44 is then removed, and the grab operated in the usual manner for the excavatin work.

When the grab operates upon a soft ground, for instance upon mud, silt, wet sand etc. it is preferable to increase the excavating capacity of the grab, that is, its effective volume thereof. In this case, a cylindrical ring 46 is mounted at the lower part of the grab (Figs. 10 and 11) and is interposed between the ring 17 carrying the excavating devices, and the cylindrical member 1*. In this manner, the grab will sink into the-ground by its own weight, this latter being now increased.

Rings such as 46 of diiferent lengths may be employed, according to the nature of the ground and the character of the work to be executed.

A rod 47 of suitable length, forming an extension piece, is mounted between the piston 10 and the member 24 actuating the scoops 20.

In the case of submerged and soft ground, the pivot joints 21 of the scoops are preferably situated outside of the diameter of the cylindrical parts l'=-1 and of the rounded cap 1, in order to avoid eifects of suction when the grab is raised (Fig. 11), as this leaves a suflicient space 50 between the cylindrical part and the inner walls of the tube or the well.

For extremely hard ground, the scoops 20 may be replaced by round cutters of suitable shape 1 adapted to cut into very hard grounds.

The said cutters are finally replaced by scoops of suitable shape in order to remove the excavated earth.

Apparatus of the type herein described are to be employed for operating in the ground by percussion. They may also be used as a ram, in order to break up the ground by ramming. They may be dropped from a point having a height attaining several meters. They are closed afterwards in order to grasp the material to be removed by means of the scoops 20 or the claws 30.

The use of such apparatus offers particular advantages for the sinking of shafts or wells of reduced size which require the use of small grabs, as the practically cylindrical body 1 allows the use of the available size of the grab to the maximum degree, and to employ a considerable weight even for a small apparatus. The body 1 adapts itself to the diameterof the excavation, and serves as a means for guiding the grab.

The said apparatus have a very substantial construction. Due to the practically cylindrical form of the body 1, which replaces the usual frames or traction rods of the grabs, the said body will withstand very hard shocks.

As the closing mechanism is contained in the body 1, which is closed at the top and the lower part of which is stopped by the block 10, the said mechanism is protected against contact with sand, earth or stones which might offer prejudice to the working of the apparatus.

It is evident that the device comprising two cables for the opening and closing of the grab, might be replaced by any other known device in current use for grabs, having one or more cables or chains for the opening and one or more cables or chains for the closing.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the forms of construction herein described and represented, which are given solely by way of example.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus of the kind referred to com prising a grab device, an elongated preferably cylindrical body combined with said grab, having relatively thick walls and high weight, and intended for the guiding of the grab device in the bore formed by the excavation of the earth, operating means adapted to bore the ground by violent impact thereon and to evacuate the disaggregated materials, mounted preferably in a detachable way on the bottom of said elongated body, a heavy block slidably mounted within said elongated body, a substantially closed chamber in the upper part of said elongated body, controlling means for causing the sliding of said block mounted and entirely concealed within said chamber, and means for connecting said block with said operating means and providing for the opening and the closing of these latter means, said elongated body consisting of a number of assembled and superposed preferably annular members giving suitable weight and length to the apparatus.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said elongated body is cylindrical and preferably consists of a number of independent elements, comprising a cylindro-spherical cap and ring shaped and cylindrical elements, all of said elements being assembled and superposed.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said elongated body consists of a cylindro-spherical cap, of a ring shaped member of great thickness and of a number of cylindrical thinner elements.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said elongated body consists of a head element, of a thick ring shaped element and of a cylindrical element, all of these elements being superposed, said ring shaped member consisting of a number of elements provided with means securing them together and upon the head and cylindrical elements.

5. An apparatus of the kind referred to comprising a grab device provided with a main elongated body, means on said body adapted for operating the boring of the ground by direct percussion thereon and for evacuating the material thus disaggregated and further means surrounding a part of said body, projecting outside thereof and adapted for the sinking in the perforated bore of a suitable member by direct impact thereon.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5. wherein the main body is provided with a groove and with a collar of suitable radial thickness fitted in said groove and projecting outside of said grab body.

PIERRE JEAN MARIE THEODORE ALLARD. 

